Animal-trap.



from a plate 8.

JOHN KELLY WEI)GrVV'OR'l`I-I,l OF LOOKHART, MISSISSIPPI.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 1907.

Application nea July 23,1906. serial No. 327,319.

To @ZZ whom it may concer-1c.-

Be it known that I, JOHN KELLY WEDG- WORTH, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Lockhart, in the county of Lauderdale and State ofMississippi, have invented new and useful Improvements in Animal-Traps,of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to that class of animal-traps comprising apair of spring-.

operated pivoted jaws, a catch for holding them open, and a trigger forholding and releasing the catch.

The invention has for its object certain im rovements with respect tothe trigger, it belng operated by a pull on the bait.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of thetrap. Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the trap set.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 5 denotes a base-plate, to whichthe jaws 6 are pivoted.

The spring for closing the jaws in the usual manner is indicated at 7.

To the base-plate is fastened a laterally-extending plate 8, having anupturned outer end 9, to which a catch 10 is pivoted. A trigger 11 ispivoted to a standard 12, rising The rear end of the trigger has a notch13 to receive the free end of the catch 10. At the opposite end thetrigger carries a bait-plate 14. This plate has an opening 15 for apurpose to be hereinafter described. Under the bait-plate 14 are ears16, which extend upwardly from the plate 8, and

between said ears is journaled a roller or pulley 17. The bait 18 isplaced on top of the plate 14 and is fastened to a wire or string 19,which extends through the opening 15 and around the roller and thenceback to the bait-plate, being made fast thereto, as at 20.

To set the trap, one of the jaws 6 is placed under the catch 10 and thefree end of the latter is placed in the notch 13 of the trigger 11. Inthis position the bait-plate is held slightly elevated, the bait-holder19 being drawn taut. Upon pulling on the bait the bait-holder pulls thebait-plate down, whereupon the trigger is disengaged from the catch andthe jaws closed by the spring 7. By reason of this arrangement theanimal is usually caught by the head and is prevented from gnawing hisfoot, thus escaping.

I claim- An animal-trap comprising spring-operated pivoted jaws, a catchtherefor, a tilting trigger engageable by the catch and carrying abait-plate provided with an opening, a roller under the bait-plate, anda bait-holding wire fastened to the bait-plate, and extending under theroller and up through the opening in the baitplate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN KELLY WEDGWORTH.

Witnesses:

M. NoAxEs, H. C. MCKINLEY.

